The Wilmingtonian., 1887-01-15
Telescoping Trains,

| SSob'h6 &hhitlSs
The New York Times takes the opportuui.
~, in speaking OF the Republican (ohio)
railroad catastrophe to criticize the custo.
mary make up" of passenger trains.
The usual method of arranging railway
train is to ''place the baggage and express
iars next to the locomotive, then the smoker
and ordinary passenger cars, and last the
neavy sleepers or drawing room coaches.
rhe theory upon which this arrangement is
made is that the occupants of the sleepers or
irawing room cars pay extra for their ac-
onmmodation and are therefore entitled to
oe placed in the most favorable position to
secure comfort in travelling which position
is, of course, as far from the noise aud smoke
Of the locom otive as possible, Other things
being equal, this arrangement would be pei
| ectly proper and in accordance with legti.
nate business principles. But as a matter
Of fact this makeup" is au ever-present
source Of danger, and to it much Of tile loss
of life by 'telescoping" is traceable.
The sleeping and drawing room cals on all
railroads are constructed of the best mater.
ial and solidly built. They lest upon heavy
trucks, carrying more and stronger wheels
than the ordinary car. To sIatter them in
my ordinary collision is next to impossible.
They are built to Withstand any reasonable
shock and to ride easily and safely over the
toughest tracks. They arc, moreover,
coupled closely together SO that two plat
torpls, when the cars are Joined for Jour
ney, form an almost Inbroken and level
surface. The opinion has more than once
been expressed by god railroad men that
no crash which could arise from any proba.
ole collision would be severe enough TO 'tel
escope" a well made Sleeper" The passen-
GERS might, and of course would, be oonsid,
erably shaken up, but with the damage to
heir nerves the injury would end. This be-
ing the case the proper place for the 'sleep-
OF" wonld logically seem to be at the for.
ward part Of the train, where they could
meet and resist the shock of collision or
jump from the track. And instead of plac-
ing them in that position the managers OF
railroads make up train of these elegant
and MASSIVE cars, and range in front of them
the poorly built aud sbaky tinder boxes
which are dignified by the name of passen-
ger coaches. When the collision occurs tie
result is tempered only by the speed of the
two opposing trains. The coupling pins
snap like so many reeds, the fiimsily con-
structed baggage car gives way to the force
of the engine in front, the heavy sleepers
bear down with crushing momentum on the
coaches before them, and the work of ''tele.
scoping'' with its deadly consequences, is
complete. BY reversing the order of the
cars, and placing the sleepers iu front, the
occupants might be obligd d to submit to
some little Inconvenience from smoke and
dust not encountered under the present sys-
tenn, but many valuable lives would un-
doubtedly be saved during the year and we
should hear less Of teleScoped trains and Gre
mated passengers"
The Times suggestion is reasonable and
logical enough but the travelling public is
usually conservative and unrefltc citing enti-
ty who will always prefer to take their seats
IN the rear part Of the train. The oldest
custom of considering it the safer despite
the railroad mems explanation would still
rule the masses, and it would probably be
found at the end of the year that the draw
ing room coaches had not paid their way.
In Vi y of this possibility and of the ex-
pediency OF more solid, heavier passenger
coaches, would it not be feasible to look in
the direction OF legis'ati interference to
the ind that it be made incumbent upon
railroad corporations to construct all cars
and coaches OF an equable tonnage counter.
acting the special phase of "telesooping" in
railroad collision.
1t is pretty reasonably demonstrated that
this phase of accident is directly attrtbrta.
bic to tho uneven distribution Of gravity
along the viuculum Of cars IN the train.
Then why not meet that trouble Immediately
instead of Troubling about the doubtful ie-
suit of the experiment of changing the posi-
tion of ''sleepers" and drawing room cars
an innovation which the travelling public
will slowly if ever accnstom itself to.